Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-07-25


steps corresponding in their distance
Of descent with the incline 81 the
street toward the river. These lat
ter details I subsequently learned
from the papers, but ] mention them
as though I had taken them In with
my eve at the time in order Ia show
nv position, and for the same Pur-
pose I will add that heavy and very
dirty tapestry curtain hung in the
doorway between the two rooms and
was half drawn.
As / went in | observed that the
room had but two occupants-the
bartender and a man facing him,
with the counter between them. Both
were talking loudly, but l was SO in-
tent upon getting 4 drink that |
scarcely needed what they said. ]
walked over 10 the bar and called FOR
some whiskev, but neither man paid
the slightest attention ID me. nor APP
peared to notice that any one had en-
tered the room.
/ was then aware that the two were
quarreling violently and hesitsted a
moment before repeating my demand.
just as / was about To do 50, how
ever. the bartender raised his left
hand, which until then had apparent
IL been hanging by his side, and in il
was an old-fashioned horse pistol.
With the utmost deliberation he
pointed il so that the muzzle OF the
weapon was not more than FIVE or six
inches from the other mans face and
fired. The man, who had been part
lv leaning against the counter, sway
ed for an instant and fell 10 the floor
dead. the whole Of the lower jaw hav-
ing been blown away, and that much
/ saw before he fell.
For moment / was stunned, but
the necessity Of getting out Of the
place as quickly as possible overshad-
owed all other thoughts in my mind.
The report Of the pistol in that low
ceiling room sounded ike q salvo Of
artillery, and the same power that
impels q drowning man to clutch al a
straw made it vividly apparent to me
that if l should escape from that
place unObserved no time must be
lost. Accordingly made a rush for
the door and with one bound was in
the street. The devils didn't go out
with me- Hastily glancing up and
down the street and seeing no one, /
ran like a deer TO the corner Of Fourth
street and IN another minnie was az
my desk, but the quality and quanti-
tv of my work for the remainder Of
the night were not such as 10 justify
my employers in availing themselves
/ Of nv services thereafter.
The next mornings papers con-
tanned accounts Of the murder, scru-
pulously accurate as 70 description Of
the scene of the tragedy, but lament
ably wanting as TO circumstantiality
Of detail as TO the occurrence, and
conveying to me the startling intelli-
/ gence that a man was seen running
out Of the saloon after the shot was
fired that the police were after him
and would no doubt have him in Gus
tody before night, and unquestiOna-
bic he was the man who did the kill
| ing, as no weapon was found on the
/ person Of the bartender or in the sa-
loon. Who had seen me leave the
place? Who might have been behind
the curtain in the dark room and care
fully photographed my features upon
his N emory az ! stood in the light:
1t was not until then that / became
really frightened. There ] was in a
strange town, without means Of leav-
ing it except in a manner calculated
TO excite suspicion and constructive
ly accused Of murder. A terrible sit
uation for a man 70 be in, truly, and
all because j had allowed myself 70
get into such a condition Of mental
and physical ruin that ] must have
rum, good or bad, but rum anyway.
Although my nerves were very
much shattered, and my general con-
dition, aside from my feelings of dread
lest ] should be arrested, no better
than it was when the devils and
walked out Of the Office the night be-
fore, the craving for liquor ] had
then felt had vanished, and ] mental
ly declared my intention Of forever
abstaining from the use Of intOxi-
cants thereafter. This sort Of inward
preaching didn't seem 70 present any
way Of getting me out ~ my difficult
Is, however, and the more I thought
Of the scrape ] was IN the worse Il
appeared, and the only way out Of il
seemed To BE- in getting Out u town.
The accomplishment u that much
desired object without money seemed
little less problematical " me than
the acquisition u the required sum,
bat lost no time IN formulating
scheme involving an excursion 10 any
direction that would place Cincinnati
behind nae, and started cot ~ pot il
IN practice. After visiting the yar-
Gus railroad stations and Steamboat
wharyes, succeeded late Ia tie az
ternOon in striking up ~ acquaint-
anee with . steamboat clerk, - whom
] tOld q straight story, II nOt n true
one, and be agreed - take me ~
Louisville that evening He did so.
and a. the boat left the silarf . news
4 -.